Fatherhood
by Sage of The Six Paths Teuchi
Summary: [AU] Sasuke faces his toughest challenge: fatherhood. Multiple chapters, primarily featuring either Sarada and Sasuke.
1. Birthday

Sasuke sighed lightly.

He scanned the shelves, from top to bottom, but he couldn't figure out what his daughter would want. He could battle godly extra-terrestrial beings with ease, but when it came to something as simple as a birthday present for his daughter, he was out of luck.

"Sasuke," a woman called from across the store. He turned his attention to the woman with twin buns—Tenten—and frowned.

Tenten smiled. "You've been standing in the same spot for around five, maybe ten minutes. What are you looking for?"

"A birthday present for my daughter," he replied, though, felt somewhat embarrassed about having to admit it.

Tenten perked up at this. She rushed over to him, catching him off guard—how she moved so quickly, he would never—and got inches away from his face.

"You have no idea what she wants?" the tune of her voice heightened; she poked her finger into his chest and then grabbed the loose sleeve of his cloak.

"Wa-" he wanted to protest, but it went unrecognized as he was dragged to the front counter. She went behind the counter and the interrogation began.

"Did she drop any hints? Have you been paying attention to what she does? Have you —"

Tenten rattled off question after question after question. He wondered if he should activate his Sharingan in order to read her lips—it was impossible to keep up with her rapid-fire questions.

Tenten finished, finally—her arms were crossed, waiting for his response. Sasuke stood motionless, weighing his options. He could just Amenotejikara out, but Sakura would never let him live it down if she found out. And she would.

Sasuke, after a few tense seconds, spoke. "I know she's interested in literature," he said. He prayed it would get him out of his current situation. He couldn't afford for her snap.

Tenten leaned forward over the cash register. "Come with me," she signed. "I keep scrolls and books in the back."

Sasuke followed as she took the lead, guiding him to the very back of her store. He took notice of her merchandise as they passed through each aisle—it was all high-quality stuff. He could see why Sarada choice to shop here for equipment.

"Thank you," he said.

"Hmm, what was that? " Tenten asked.

"Thank you for supplying my daughter. I appreciate it," Sasuke said.

Tenten smiled. "No problem."

Tenten observed her collection of 'special weapons' behind a glass case, while Sasuke scanned the shelves for something appropriate for his daughter. He found a title that looked—well, interesting... _The Warring States: A Senju Story - By Tobirama Senju._ Sasuke rolled his mismatched eyes and returned the 'literature' to its original crevice.

Tenten strolled over, scroll in hand, and got Sasuke's attention by placing the revealed scroll in his field of vision - _Lighting Release for the Intermediate_, it's titled.

"If I remember currently, her affinity is Lighting Release?" Tenten said. "I'm sure she would love it!"

Sasuke took the scroll, delicately; unraveling it revealed techniques listed that would be suited for various styles of combat. His Rinnegan danced through the parchment with intrigue—no matter how much time had passed, he still enjoyed learning about techniques.

Sasuke nodded. "She could make use of this," he responded. "I've started to train her since returning."

"That's really sweet," Tenten gushed. "Lately, when she comes in, she talks about wanting to impress her Papa."

Sasuke admitted, he was feeling a little deja vu. Even in his absence, his daughter sought his approval. A smile threatened to escape. Before Tenten could notice, he turned to the exit of the room.

Once at the desk, Sasuke retrieved his wallet. "It's on the house," Tenten said with a smile. Before Sasuke could protest, Tenten continued. "I'm not taking no for an answer—just put your wallet away. Your money's no good here."

Sasuke chuckled lightly. "Thank you, Tenten."

* * *

"Alright," Sakura said, balancing a medium sized present in her hands. "Here you go," she added, placing it on the dining room table, smile and all.

Sasuke did the same, though he was more mysterious about it, opting to remove from the void that was his cloak. He placed it on the table with a small smirk.

Sarada smiled. Her thirteenth birthday was the best one yet—because her father was there to celebrate it. A gift, a party—it didn't matter to her—as long as her mother and father were there, together, everything was perfect.

Sarada decided to open her mother's first. She neatly unwrapped the cherry blossom wrapping paper, until she came to a white box. She opened it, and there was another smaller one. Sakura suppressed a giggle. Sarada gave her mother a fake annoyed expression, before continuing.

When Sarada finally reached her gift, she smiled. "Your Aunt Karin and I collaborated on this one," Sakura began. "You've outgrown your original pair of g-glasses—" Sakura paused, choked up by the milestone. Sasuke positioned himself close to his wife, placing his lone hand on her shoulder, squeezing it lightly. She composed herself and continued. "—Our little girl is all grown up."

Sarada got up from her seat and hugged her mother. They stayed like that for a minute, before Sarada released her grip and returned to her seat. "Go on," Sakura managed. "Open your father's."

Sarada looked toward her father, who smiled lightly. Her father wrapped her gift in dark wrapping paper; she figured her father would go for more a customary route. Her mother was, of course, more of a jokester, pulling the smaller box in the larger box prank.

Sarada, like before, unwrapped the gift with delicacy, not wanting to tear the wrapping paper. When she was done, she smiled, escaping her seat to hug her father. "It's perfect," she mumbled. "Can we go to the training grounds? I want to learn one." Sasuke embraced her with what he could manage—only having one arm made it awkward. "Of course."

* * *

The beautiful sunset was in the distance. It was fairly breezy; warm for late March. Sasuke took his place directly behind Sarada, instructing her on the use of a technique. "The Lighting Release Wall technique is great for both offensive and defensive minded shinobi," he continued. "It requires a moderate amount of chakra, but constructing the actual wall requires that your chakra control be sufficient."

Sasuke then moved to her side. He flexed his finger and stomped the earth. Electricity rose from nowhere, striking wildly, though, there was a level of control when he utilized it. The range of the technique was controlled flawlessly; normally wild and untamed to those less experienced, but wielded by an expert, it was refined.

Sarada looked on with amazement, but soon enough, the wall of lighting tapered off. "You did it with a single hand sign," she gasped, continuing to stare at the blackened area where the technique originated from. Sasuke placed his lone hand on her shoulder. "With enough practice, you can do the same."

Boruto watched from a distance, but he was not alone. His father—finally, thankfully—was not plagued with Hokage duties. They decided to walk—talk about what was on their minds. The Leaf was too loud, so they chose the training grounds as an appropriate area.

Sarada appeared to fail in her first few attempts at whatever technique she was learning but continued on. That didn't come to much of a surprise to him. She was striving to be Hokage, so a small setback wasn't going to deter her. His father shift, slightly, then began to shake. He was chuckling?

"This takes me back," Naruto started. "I remember when Kakashi-sensei trained me. Even though it was grueling, I was so happy to be able to learn from him. He was actually the reason I found out my primary nature was Wind."

Boruto was quiet. He understood what his father saying. Training was one of many ways shinobi chose to understand each other. From what he remembered from the academy, ninshu was what it was called.

"Dad," Boruto started, staring into the distance, easing his posture. Naruto turned to him. He smiled at his son. Boruto did the same. "Want to join them?"

* * *

Fun fact: the Lightning Release Wall technique is originally from the Naruto Shippuden: Kizuna Drive game that was released in the United States in early 2011.


	2. Admirer

Sasuke regarded Sarada's academy friend with a nod. Her friend doing the same. Hako Kuroi was her name. Sasuke noted she was carrying around an eerie stuffed rabbit. Hako in general as—well, he couldn't put his finger on it. She was short, barely coming up around his daughter's shoulder in height. Her outfit concealed her greatly—she wore a black dress and cloak, as well as a violet ribbon nestled on her blue hair.

Her bangs obstructed his vision, but Sasuke could make out a slight tinge of pink in her eyes. Perhaps a kekkei genkai? If it was, he could relate to her in some fashion. Sarada pulled the small girl along. "Come on Hako. I'll show you my room."

"It was nice to meeting you, Mr. Uchiha," Hako said. Her monotone voice reminded him of his. Both girls exited the room, which left him—and the stuffed rabbit. It was on the couch, likely forgotten, because Sarada rushed Hako into her room.

_Human._

Sasuke was taken back. It came from the direction where that stuffed animal resided. He got closer to it, examining it with his mismatched eyes. It had to be his mind playing tricks, but he swore it came from that—

_Human. _

Okay, that definitely came from that stuffed _creature. _Sasuke stressed that last part to the fullest. Maybe it was that girl playing a trick on him? He picked _it _up, investigating it thoroughly. He activated his Sharingan, attempting to spot anything unusual. But there was nothing. It was a regular—maybe regular was stretching it—stuffed rabbit.

Sasuke continued to stare, confused, all because of this stuffed animal. It had to be a prank. Maybe a summoning animal? But there was no life, no pulse, no soul—his visual prowess could easily pick if something was alive.

He was going crazy. Yes, all that time in alternate dimensions was... lonesome. Very little interaction, only coming in contact with people when he needed supplies. He definitely needed this vacation. He returned the stuffed animal where Hako left it, deciding to go to the kitchen to clear his head.

_Go._

Sasuke frowned, moving toward the kitchen, not breaking his stride. He returned sometime later, Sarada and Hako were now sitting on the couch—Hako holding the stuffed rabbit close to her body. Hako turned her head to him before quickly returning her attention Sarada, whispering something.

Sasuke quirked his brow. Sarada _laughed. _He could not believe his daughter—his very own flesh and blood—was in on the charade. Hako got up from the couch—rabbit in hand—and bowed toward him.

"T—thank you for allowing me in your home, Mr. Uchiha," she stuttered, while still monotone.

Sasuke wordlessly nodded. Sarada, who appeared to be unable to contain herself any longer, got up and guided Hako toward the front door. He heard Sarada say goodbye, then whispering once again. Sarada laughed again before, finally, closing the door.

Sarada returned to the living room, not able to keep a straight face. Sasuke was finally going to get to the bottom of this, but Sarada spoke first. "Wow, Papa. You have an admirer."

Sasuke looked at her with utter confusion. Sarada expression was one of mirth—reminding him of her mother. An admirer? What was she going on about? His daughter was oddly cryptic, but he would get it out of her—one way or another.

"About that stuffed rabbit—" Sarada did not allow him to finish. "It's—he—is her friend! Listen, she-she had few friends at the academy. It took me a while to just get her to speak to me. But when she finally did, I brought you up in the conversation. I actually saw her smile for the first time. I know that may sound odd, but—"

"I understand," Sasuke said. "I _know _someone who had very few friends in the academy when I was young—who admired a shinobi. It ended up working out in the end because said shinobi believed he was something more."

Sarada shifted awkwardly, diverting eye contact. "C—could you maybe talk to her?" She then looked at her father. "I think that would really help her."

For the second time that day, Sasuke was taken back. It was usually Naruto who gave the motivational talks, after all, he managed to convince him to turn a new leaf. He would be better suited for this type of situation.

"I think the Hok—"

"Papa, please," Sarada stressed.

Sasuke sighed. He nodded, defeated.

* * *

Hako smiled. Sarada couldn't believe it. "He really said yes," Hako squealed. _squealed_. Sarada swished her soda back and forth, grinning at Hako. In the time she has known Hako, this was one of the only times she genuinely smiled.

Hako took a bite of her burger; Sarada saw glee and happiness on the small girls face. It was amazing—It made her day to see her friend so happy. Hako swallowed her portion, smile and all. Sarada offered her fries, which Hako took with a mumbled '_thank you.' _

"So—" Hako ate a fry in between "—when can we meet again?" Sarada was happy she asked, her answer would make Hako's day even better. "He's free today; I was actually going to take you to the training grounds after we ate. He wanted to meet you there."

Hako nodded, excitement boiling up in her. "Let's finish. I want to talk to him."

* * *

"Wind Release: Gale Palm!" Boruto exclaimed. A torrent of wind manifested in his palms. But instead of unleashing it, Boruto sprinted forward, thrusting it at Sasuke. Sasuke unsheathed his sword, not dodging, opting to block. A clang echoed through the area as Boruto was sent skidding back.

Sasuke analyzed his approach. "I see. Incorporating Wind Release with Gentle Fist. Impressive," he said.

Boruto was visibly excited to receive praise from his sensei. It became quite difficult to schedule training sessions because he—along with Team 7—were receiving more missions. Whenever they did find the time, he would attempt to impress the Supporting Kage. Boruto's thoughts were suddenly cut short when Sasuke charged forward, thrusting his sword with vicious intention.

Boruto blocked it with a kunai but received a well-placed kick to the gut for his troubles. If this was his Sensei holding back, he hated to face him when he decided to go all out. Boruto grasped for his stomach, the wind almost completely knocked out of him. If he had to guess, another lesson was about to be taught.

"A bigger, more experienced fighter will use his or her length to take advantage," Sasuke lectured, walking over to the Uzumaki. "As you grow, you'll be able to combat this more easily by yourself. As for now, continue to use your clones as a diversion—and watch for your opponent's tendencies. You could have very easily summoned a clone to counter my attack while you distanced yourself."

Boruto absorbed the information. At that moment, if he could, he would have pulled out a notebook and pen and jot down what his mentor just taught him. Sasuke walked over and offered his hand. Boruto accepted it, returning to a vertical base.

"Papa!"

Boruto and Sasuke turned their attention to the newcomers. Sarada—and, Boruto was confused. That girl was... Hako! He remembered now. He was surprised to see her with Sarada. In the academy, she was off to herself. Whenever they were split up into groups, she was the last one chosen. When he thought about, it was sad that she wasn't included more...

"Hey, Sarada—Hako." Boruto greeted.

"Boruto," Sarada said. "I didn't realize you and my Dad were training today."

Boruto smiled. "I'm lucky. Sensei was here when I arrived."

While Boruto and Sarada continued to converse, Hako stole some glances at Sasuke. When Sarada told her that her father was one of the war heroes from the Fourth War, Hako was amazed that someone so powerful was her father. When she went to Sarada's home yesterday, she was nervous, she admitted it. But this time, it was going to be different.

Sasuke broke the tension. "Hello again," he greeted. Hako nodded. Before he could continue, she took a small notebook and pen out of her cloak, presenting it to him with her head down. "Could I—" before she could stutter, she gathered herself "—could I have your autograph?"

"Wait," Boruto paused his conversation with Sarada. Sarada then grabbed him by his collar, dragging him away. He protested, but her strength outmatched him, so he was forced to go along.

Sasuke eventually took her pen. He scribbled his name neatly on the first page—even with his dominant arm missing, his handwriting was still fantastic. Hako quickly thanked him, but before she could leave, Sasuke spoke up.

"Is that stuffed rabbit haunted?"

* * *

Hako Kuroi is the gothic side character from the Boruto series. She struck me as someone whose design was too interesting to only make background appearances.


End file.
